Sinker assembly for latch needles



Oct. 22, 1957 H. c. NOE 2,8

SINKER ASSEMBLY FOR LATCH NEEDLES Filed March 9, 1953 IN V EN TOR.

Hera/z Cf/Voe AJTDRNEY United States Patent O 2,810,278 SINKER ASSEMBLY FOR LATCH NEEDLES Harold C. Noe, Upper Montelair, N. J., assignor to Kidde Manufacturing Co., Inc., Bloomfield, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application March 9, 1953, Serial No. 341,167

4 Claims. (Cl. 66-86) The present invention relates to warp knitting machines of the latch needle type, and, more particularly, to sinker assemblies for such machines provided with means which act as a latch wire to maintain the latches down or open while the needles are up and threads are being looped about the hooks of the needles.

Heretofore, it has been customary to utilize a relatively stiff wire to prevent the closing of the latches while the needles were up. This wire was positioned closely adjacent the upper edges of the sinker blades in close proximity to the needles and had its ends secured to the frame of the machine.

One of the difficulties of suchan arrangement was that, in rethreading broken warp threads, there was very little space to bring the threads from the guides to the needles in front of the latch wire, whereby in many cases, the threads were inadvertently placed in back of the wire or in effect wrapped around the latch wire. Consequently, when the knitting machine was put into operation again, such threads were unduly tensioned and broke again thereby necessitating another shutdown, or, even more frequently, such threads when tensioned pulled the latch wire in front of the needles or in the path thereof with the disastrous result that the knitting elements were smashed or bent out of alignment. This necessitated costly and time consuming repairs, usually, involving complete replacement of the knitting elements and threading of the machine.

Such difficulties can also be encountered when too much slack is left in a broken thread after rethreading thereof whereby the motion of the knitting elements causes a loop to be cast over or under the latch wire and wrapped around the same.

A similar condition can be produced when the latch wire develops slack therein during the running of the machine and vibrates at such an amplitude that the middle thereof gets into the path of the needles.

The foregoing difficulties are even more likely to occur in the knitting of very fine threads with fine knitting elements at high speeds such as required by modern knitting practices.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide sinker assemblies having means serving the purpose of a latch wire in maintaining the latches down or open which are not subject to the foregoing difliculties and disadvantages.

Another object is to provide such latch tending means which facilitate the rethreading of broken threads.

Another object is to provide such latch tending means which move with the sinkers and thus are moved rearwardly of the needles when the sinkers are out to provide ample space for the threads to be brought directly from the guides to the needles in the threading thereof.

Another object is to provide means having a continuous latch engaging surface extending crosswise within the spaces between adjacent sinker blades which is not subject to vibration.

-A further object is to accomplish the foregoing in a simple, economical and practical manner.

Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described, or will be indicated'in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.

In accordance with the present invention, the foregoing objects are accomplished by providing a sinker assembly comprising a plurality of sinker blades mounted side by side in parallel spaced apart relation to provide spaces between adjacent blades through which latch needles are adapted to pass, and means attached to each of the blades and extending between adjacent blades and providing a continuous crosswise extending surface within the spaces adapted to be engaged by the latches of the needles as the needles pass upwardly through the spaces and thereby maintain the latches open or down.

In the drawing: 7

'Fig. 1 is a gr-agmentary schematic elevational view illustrating a latch needle in its up position with respect to a sinker assembly in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary elevational view of a sinker assembly illustrating one embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of the sinker assembly shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is afragmentary elevational view of a sinker assembly illustrating another embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of the sinker assembly shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary bottom view of a sinker assembly illustrating still another embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary elevational view ofthe sinker assembly shown in Fig. 6. i 7

Referring to the drawing in detail and more particularly to Fig. 1 thereof, a set of knitting elements of a warp knitting machine is shown which comprises a needle 10 having a pivotally mounted latch, and a sinker blade 12 having means 14 thereon which serves as a latch wire for holding the latch open when the needle is in its up position, illustrated schematically herein as being attached to the sinker blade and as having a portion extending between adjacent blades to provide a continuous crosswise extending surface within the space between the blades. As about to be described, such means may be constructed and arranged in a number of ways to accomplish their intended purpose in accordance with the present invention.

In Figs. 2 and 3, a sinker assembly is illustrated-which comprises a plurality of sinker blades 1 mounted side by side in parallel spaced apart relation to provide spaces 16 between. adjacent blades through which the latch needles are adapted to pass. Each blade is formed with at least one opening such as an aperture or small hole 17, and these holes are in alignment to provide a row of holes for receiving a strand 19 formed of wire, mono-iilament nylon or the like which constitutes the latch wire means. The holes 17 are provided adjacent the upper edge of the blades rearwardly of the toe of the blades and in the zone where the needles pass.

If desired, several spaced apart rows of holes 17 may be provided, whereby the position of the strand 19 may be adjusted to engage the needle latches when the needles and-sinkers are in various relative positions of adjustment for different knitting requirements.

The sinker assembly constitutes a block of a desired or customary width, and a plurality of such blocks are .mounted side by side on the sinker bar with their respective holes in alignment, whereby a single strand can be.

threaded through a row of holes from one end of the sinker bar to the other. The strand in this manner extends between adjacent blades to provide a continuous crosswide extending surface within the spaces 16 adapted to be engaged by the latches of the needles.

Since the strand moves with "the sinkers, it is moved away from the needles a considerable distance when the sinkers are out to provide ample space for bringing the threads from the guides to the needles. Also, by using a relatively fine wire or nylon strand, the overall mass of the sinker assembly is not materially increased, and, by being attached to each sinker blade, high amplitude vibration thereof is impossible even when the strand is slack.

'In Figs. 4 and 5, anotherforrn of sinker assembly is illustrated wherein the blades are formed with an opening or recess of the upper edge. These recesses are in alignment to provide a row of recesses for receiving a rod 21 formed of metal or plastic material. If desired, this rod may be molded or embedded into the recesses to provide a continuous crosswise extending surface within the spaces 16 between adjacent blades of each sinker block. When the blocks are secured to the sinkerbar, the ends of adjacent rods are in close contact and in alignment to provide, in efiect, a continuous rodextending from end to end of the sinker bar. Alternatively, a single rod could be set into the recesses after the sinker blocks are secured to the sinker bar which rod would extend the entire length of the sinker bar. The rod in each case serves to maintain the blades in parallel alignment.

In Figs. 6 and 7, still another formof sinker assembly is illustrated wherein the spaces 16 between adjacent blades are filled with cast or molded metal or plastic 22 up to a point adjacent the sinker tees to provide a .continuous surface 24within the spaces adapted to be engaged by the latches of the needles. This arrangement serves to reinforce and stiffen the sinker blades and to maintain the same in parallel alignment, which is highly 4 and disadvantages heretofore encountered with latch wires.

As various changes may be made in the form,1construction and arrangement of the parts herein, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in any limiting sense.

I claim:

1. In a needle and sinker assembly for a knitting machine, a plurality of sinker blades formed with toes, means for mounting said blades side by side in parallel spaced apart relation to provide spaces between adjacent blades, a latch needles coacting with said sinker blades to be positioned in one of said spaces and having a latch facing said blade mounting means, and means attached to each of said blades having continuous crosswise extending portions in said spaces formed with a latch engaging surface facing said needle and being located between said needle and said blade mounting means for holding said latch open when said needle is in a predetermined position in relation to said sinker blades.

2. .A needle and sinker assembly according to claim 1, wherein each of said blades has an opening and all of said openings are in alignment with one another, and said latch engaging means is an elongate element secured in said openings.

3. .A needle and sinker assembly according to claim 2, wherein each of said blades has. a plurality of spaced openings and all corresponding openings are in alignment, and said .element is a strand.

4. A needle and sinker assembly according to claim 1, wherein said latch engaging means are a mass of material secured between adjacent blades and formed integral with said mounting means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 870.170 Hill Nov. 5, 1907 2,259,655 Morton Oct. 21,1941

FOREIGN PATENTS 3,483 Great Britain of 1915 

